Blue Star Grading © 2010

Why Blue Star Grading?

Business travelers and tourists alike normally use the Internet to look for accommodation and are expecting a certain quality from a star graded establishment. There is a remarkable difference between the grading criteria of a Guesthouse, B&B and Country House on the one side and Hotels (i.e. Holiday Inn etc.) on the other side.

A Guesthouse or B&B grading should always be on a lower grading level than a hotel. In Europe this is a fact and everybody is used to this system and its differences. Recently, the grading criteria system in Europe was equalized and the countries are now using the same criteria to guarantee an equal standard all over Europe. The source was the German system which has successfully been in place for many years.

One of South Africa’s new grading systems for 2010, applicable to Guesthouses, B&B and Country Houses, is very different from the European and other Star Grading Systems worldwide and as such will confuse tourists and business travelers looking for accommodation in the Guesthouse and B&B segment of the market. The official South African system with its new 2010 criteria demands an extremely high standard from Guesthouses, B&B´s and Country Houses, even higher than the Hotel standards in Europe and many other countries worldwide. It seems that this new South African system attempts to achieve one of the highest accommodation standards in the world. But that will be very expensive.

Very high standards are fine as long as the customer is able to afford them. However, to provide these standards, someone initially has to pay for necessary changes/investments in the establishments. Not to mention the fact that the new South African standards stipulate a very large floor space of the rooms. Establishments with for instance 4 Stars will now only be entitled to 2 Stars. It will, however,  not make any business sense for a Guesthouse to downgrade  to 2 Stars from previous 4 Stars. On the contrary, it will destroy the business if advertised with it.

To prevent confusion to the traveler and to present the establishments with an alternative to the existing system, we adopted the European system and called it “Blue Star Grading”. We do not intend to compete with the existing South African system but would like to give the European and other travelers in South Africa (and other countries) the opportunity to enjoy the standard  they are used to and provide the Guesthouse, B&B and Country House industry with the opportunity to offer accommodation at more reasonable rates than a hotel.

Blue Star Grading is independent and not driven by any Government, other organizations or systems. Blue Star Grading sees its only duty in assessing the standards of subscribing establishments. They do not involve themselves with the checking of Tax issues and other legal requirements. Sensitive information like annual turnover or rate structures of establishments is not required. In order to obtain a Blue Star Grading license, the establishment needs to furnish proof of registration as an accommodation business and comply with the standards of the category applied for. (From 1 up to 4 Blue Stars for Guesthouses B&B and Countryhouses). The assessment will be carried out annually. Thereafter, the establishment is entitled to carry the Blue Stars and put up the Blue Star Grading sign and logo.

The Blue Star Grading member benefits from a fair grading system and is able to obtain the Blue Stars even in addition to other systems if he wishes. The Blue Star Member also benefits from  a free listing in the international Blue Star Web Site. He is a member of a trustworthy system, based on the 100% compliance with the European system. He will be regularly informed of possible changes and new suggestions. Furthermore, for peace of mind,  the Blue Star Grading criteria are valid for 4 years except for possible minor changes.

(Depending on possible changes in the European system).